Album Review: Précious Heroes: un hommage à la classe ouvrière

Note: this is a translation to English using google translate, the original article is below.

Precious Heroes: a tribute to the working class

He made the heyday of Planxty in the 70s, before founding Patrick Street the next decade and Mozaik. More recently, he helped found the Usher’s Island super group alongside Dónal Lunny, Paddy Glackin, Mike McGoldrick and John Doyle (1). A very long career of more than fifty years adorned by many albums.

In 2018 Andy Irvine released a new album, this time accompanied by Australian guitarist and mandolinist Luke Plumb. Or when the old lion of the Irish tradition meets the young Tasmanian tiger.

On Precious Heroes , Andy and Luke pay tribute to great men and women, largely unknown, who shaped the working class and the cultural roots of their respective countries. Through trials, sorrow, adversity and tragedy, triumphant stories remain. Andy and Luke share History and Hope by dedicating their album to these precious everyday heroes.

We meet randomly, traditional Irish ballads, Erin’s Green Shore , Dunlavin Green or Farewell to Ballymoney and an Australian ballad The Death of Ben Hall . Andy’s compositions, including Franck Ryan, who fought Fascism in Spain in the International Brigades, Hard Times in Comer’s Mines and Here’s a Heal to Every Miner Lad on the condition of minors in the 1930s in both Ireland and the United States. -United. And then Trip to Tír na nÓg , a piece composed in 73 by Andy for Planxty but never recorded until today.

To highlight the superb A Tune for Angus composed by Luke in tribute to his friend Shooglenifty, Angus R. Grant, recently missing.

Alongside the two musicians are Scottish fiddler John McCusker, flutist Mike McGoldrick, percussionist James Mackintosh, guitarist Rens Van Der Zalm and two Australian singers Kate Burke and Ruth Hazleton.

At seventy-five Andy Irvine proves to us once again that he has not lost anything of a talent that has been expressed for half a century on stages all over the world.